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Microwaved

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This was my senior thesis animation that I finished in December.


Artist Statement:
I believe that the food we eat and our eating habits affect our behaviors and states of mind at very basic levels. Our behaviors influence our eating habits in turn, resulting in a vicious cycle. Much of our food is becoming increasingly processed, modified, and engineered. Over-indulgence of this packaged and processed nourishment often contributes to filthy lifestyles and consumption of unhealthy foods beyond moderation for the sake of pleasure. This habitual self-destruction often continues to the point of becoming the norm, and then we are not only consumers of our microwave culture, but products of it as well.
This work depicts these messy and gluttonous tendencies in an exaggerated and fantastic manner. It also examines and plays with this idea of how humans continue to change with our shifting habits and processes pertaining to our food, becoming a product of fast food culture.

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Wow, I never believed that this was created by an animator who did comedic parodies, had one that was weird and at the same time strange and in a 3D format of the animation!!!

My dreams, man, my dreams! :O Surfing through a landscape made out of only delicious edibles, being able to eat as much as you possibly want without feeling full, just gluttonously gliding on a lake of frozen Grapefruit juice... is never going to be the same again! But anyway, this was masterfully made, a gritty trip through a world of fuel and fat and wannabe willpower. I was starting to ponder what potential metaphors were stored in that microwave meal when... he opens it up and all that shizznit falls out of there! Suddenly it seems like it's more about the random factor than a message, though the artist statement does tell it's not so! Might've been more effectual a statement if he just opened the microwave and ate that bun, and then: The End. Well, it was good, entertaining, though-provoking and strange, and I do agree, we are what we eat. Nice work.

-cd-

LightningLion responds:

Thanks, cd.
What I was trying to get at with the ending was a more literal pun of our "microwave culture" creating and spewing out all of this post-waste. I still think your proposed ending would have kept to the 'you are what you eat' and health aspects better; I was trying to find a balance between only focusing on those aspects, and being more inclusive of other related aspects of our culture.

First, and frankly, I agree to the greater extent with you. Though, my opinion is more that it's about what constitutes moderation on the consumption of garbage rather than the total avoidance. That said, let's get to the brass tacks.
The animation was clean and fluid, with most (if not all) effects in check and appropriate balance. The audio sync'ed well (and you'd be surprised how many can't manage that trick).
I do hope you give it a little time, but make a revisit to this theme and subject in the future. It really could've become something more with some sort of guide (a microwavean local maybe already made of trash) leading a couple people through the labyrinth of overprocessed garble that nobody can pronounce (let alone understand). A little time with some clever voice and you could work out the kind of entertaining social commentary that would reach even the numbest of skulls on the matter. Might caution on just adding a pinch of science, so as not to send 'em screaming from the room... But you really seem to have something here... a little short maybe and uni-directional as opposed to adventurous... But... Good Job!

LightningLion responds:

Thanks for your review!
I actually have a strong mindset towards moderation as opposed to total avoidance as well, but unfortunately, I don't think I translated that very well into this piece.
I might indeed return to this sort of thing someday. Like you said, there are definitely a lot more factors of this whole idea of consumption and post-waste that I could have touched on, and I would certainly be willing to incorporate science/biology to further expand this topic so it's actually more well-grounded. I also wouldn't intend to send people heading for the hills rather than playing with these ideas in their own leisure/curiosity.

what a strange animation but I liked it :)The style used was very nice and fit into the storyline or randomness lol anyway god job.

Credits & Info

Views
2,016
Votes
15
Score
4.06 / 5.00

Uploaded
May 6, 2015
8:45 AM EDT
Genre
Other